Fort Smith

The Pirates of Penzance

At Foothills Little Theatre, corner of 12th & School St., Ozark. Production presented by Varsity Choir of Ozark High School. Call 667-2525 for further information.

Long-time lobbyist talks legislative history

Bob Lamb, long-time leader of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and now a lobbyist for several organizations, just wrapped up working his 27th legislative session. Lamb recently sat down…

Van Buren hotel, restaurant activity down

Van Buren hospitality tax collections for the first quarter of 2009 were $94,399, down a slight 1.9% compared to the same period of 2008. Collections in March were $31,816, down…

Tyson Foods posts quarterly loss of $104 million

Springdale-based Tyson Foods Inc. posted a second-quarter net income loss of $104 million, a big drop from the $5 million loss posted in the second quarter of 2008. Sales for…

A few years ago, the Fort Smith Board of Directors rejected a feasible, responsible and appropriate commercial development adjacent to the corporate headquarters complex of Arkansas Best Corporation. Why? Because…

Stunned

Employee embezzlement is the most cited type of fraud, and it’s on the rise.

New scholarship announced at ATU-Ozark

Gary Briley of Ozark (right) presented $3,500 Jo Alice Blondin, chancellor at Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus, this week for student scholarships at the Ozark Campus. The money provides a new…

It was a mix of pig, chocolate and salsa

Helping thousands of children lead productive lives was the goal of the Kistler “A Night in the Caribbean” fundraiser.

Baldor shareholders updated on ‘tough’ year

Fort Smith-based Baldor Electric Co. held its annual shareholders’ meeting Saturday (May 2), just days after the company reported another quarter of declining sales and income. With that, one might…

Bad incentives?

A new Edmunds report suggests auto incentives may not be in the best interests of the automakers.

Sebastian County air quality gets good grade

Sebastian county residents can breathe easier than many other people throughout the nation. The American Lung Association has released its “State of the Air” report for 2009, which gives Sebastian…

New construction planned for Lake Fort Smith State Park

Bids for a new lodge and dining hall at Lake Fort Smith Park could go out this summer, with construction taking about one year after bid acceptance, according to Greg…

Bill’s Rib Room rocks

Opening night of the long-awaited new and improved Rib Room comes complete with a shower of rose petals.

Natural gas prices not likely to soon push production

Six years of first-quarter growth in U.S. natural gas drilling activity came to an end during the first quarter of 2009, according to The Natural Gas Summary from the American…

Bankruptcy and consumer opinion

Almost half of Americans would not buy a vehicle from an automaker in or considering bankruptcy.

Fitch issues Whirlpool rating report

A ratings report by Fitch Ratings places a negative outlook on $850 million in new corporate debt being issued by Benton Harbor, Mich.-based Whirlpool Corp. The negative outlook, according to…

New Fort Smith chamber president to begin May 26

Paul Harvel will begin May 26 his new job as president of the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce. The chamber announced April 16 it had hired the Arkansas chamber…

It’s time to rub to the Rib Room

Peter gets dang-near R-rated; talking about spicy treats, sweaty bodies and his fondness for bucking.

Pitsch hired to push intermodal study, plans

Mat Pitsch, the former vice president of economic development at the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce, will begin May 1 as the point person to study and plan a…

Jobs report shows Fort Smith metro area still struggling

The preliminary March unemployment rate for the Fort Smith region decreased to 7.3% from a revised February rate of 7.7%. The preliminary February rate was reported at 7.3% but revised…